of gohlis



1 BEST (No Model.) AvAxLABLE CGP 1. 11. 1 ..1'.1111L19'11 8 G. A. 1.1111111118. MUSICAL BOX.

No. 898,241. Patented-Peb. 19, 1889.

UNITED STATES BEST AVAILABLE coe lPATENT OFFICE.

FRIEDRICH ERNs'r FAULEHRLICH, oF GoIILIs, NEAR LEIPsIo, sAXoNY, AND

GUsTAv ADoLPII FRoHTEGo'IT MLLER, oF BERLIN, GERMANY, As-

. sIeNoRS v",1,`..0.TrIENFAERIK LEIFZIGER MUsIKwERKE, voRMALs PAUL EHRLIOH a co., oF1Go`HLIs,-NEAR LEIPsIc, GERMANY.

"lvluslcAL Box.

SRECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,241, dated February. 19, 1889.

Application filed January 17 1887.. Serial No. 224,629. (No model.) Patentd'in Germany June 16, 1885, No. 33,761 in France July 24, 1886, No. 150,198; in England July 28, 1886, No. 9,742; in Belgium September 6, 1886, No. 74,466, and in Italy September 11,1886, XL, 376.

GUs'rAv ADoLPH FRcH'rEGor'r MLLER, a subject of the Prince of Reuss, residing at.

Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, have invented new and useful Improvements 1o in Musical Boxes, (forwhich ,wehave obtained.

Letters Patent in Germany, No. 33,761, June 16, 1885; Great Britain, No. 9,742,1July 28,'

1886 France, No. 150,198, July 24, 1886; Belgium, No. 74,465,8eptember 6, 1886, and in 15 Italy, No. 376, Vol. XL, September 1l, 1886,)

of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to musical boxesV .or mechanical musical apparatus wherein musical sounds are produced bythe vibration of zo tuned tongues, forks, or other like Sound-.producing agents; and the invention consists, essentially, in the improved arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described, whereby the said musical boXes or appa- 2 5 ratus are enabled to play an unlimited nu mber of different tunes by means of readilyL changed music-sheets, disks, or plates of a circular or endless-band shape.

In apparatus constructed according to this 3o invention the sound-producing agents are operated by direct contact with projections or their equivalents on the music4sheet, and the apparatus may be operated either directly by hand or bythe intervention of a mechanism 3 5 moved by a spring (motor-spring) or otherwise.

In order that our said invention maybe fully understood, we shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the several figures 4o on the annexed sheet of drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings illustrate in vertical section differ- 45 ent forms of apparatus constructed according to this invention and in which the sound-producing` agents are caused to vibrate by com- 'ingin ldirect contact with the music-sheets.

In the various forms of musical boxes interchangeable music-she'ets (corresponding to 5o dierent airs) are employed provided with pins or elevations and depressions, the relative positions of which are determined by the music to be played, and wherein these pins or elevations4 are causedto actdirectly upon the 5 5 metal tongues when the instrument is playing.

-tions,`is placed upon a carrier-plate on a spindie, bf, Whichcan be rotated by a handle, f', operating a spindle, g, and a worm and wormwheel, g.., The music-sheet must possess suffi- 6 5 cient stiffness (being made of a suitable metal,

fr example)` so that when rotated to cause the annular rows of pins to pluck or act upon the tongues the sheet shall not be liable to be distorted, but will remain in the same 7o plane. By operating a fixing device-such as the thumb-nut c-the music sheet or disk can be removed and another disk introduced in its place with the greatest facility and rapidity.

Fig. 2 illustrates a modified form of the apparatus, in which the case d is made in the form of a vase with a cover, c, the only difference from the above-described varrangement being that the reciprocal action between the 8o tongues and the music-sheet is reversed. A music sheet or disk, a, provided with suitablyadjusted pins or projections, is secured upon a spindle or pillar, b, fixed in the base of the case, and is secured or held down at its edges 85 or periphery by a rim or projection, c, on the interior of the cover, which prevents the disk from rising out, of its place. The metallic comb of tongues e is radially fixed in the interior of the case. The body d of the vase 9o forming the case is capable of rotating, being supported on anti-friction balls k, for eX- 2 u 398,241 BESTAVAILAsLE CGP.

ample, and has a slow rotary motion imparted to it by a motor-spring arranged at f acting on suitable intermediate gear, g g. By these means the tongues e. are caused to travel round the under surface of the disk a, and successively are brought in contact with the diil'ercnt radiuses formed by the projections on the disk in such a manner as to produce the tune required; The vase is com? posed of any material that is favorable to the production of the musical sounds, and may be made to promote the resonance or cfectiveness oi' the instrument by providing it with suitable reverberating surfaces or vibrating bodies and by `forming suit-ablezholes in the sides or cover. It is evident that the apparatus mayv bc worked directly by. la'nd by simply substituting a crank-handle'for die motor-springf. ltwill be readily understood that instead of moving the tongues e round' the under surface of the disk a this disli may be put in rotary motion; suoli as dee' scribed with reference to.Fig. 1, While the vase d, with cover c, is held at rest. In this case, ot course, the anti-friction balls k are dispensed with and rotarymotion is'impar'ted' to the spindle b. This may be e'etejd' by providing a pivot on the lower 3nd of the spindle b and bearing to receive that pivot, while thel worm-wheehg, instead of Vbeing fixed on thelower projection of the case d, is to be fixed o n the spindle b itself. y

Fig. 3 illustrates another form of apparatus embodying this invention. In thiscase the music-sheet a. is in the form of an endless band or cylinderwhich is inserted into the body of 'the vase and fixed in'position th'ei.

.The comb e is firmly attached to a revolving plate or turntable, b, on a spindle, b2,. ivoil fzlig in bearings provided in the. case, and having a slow rotary motion imparted to it by a spring and gear at f and g', so that the metal tongues are brought in Contact at the proper times with the projections ou the music-sheet, and are thereby caused to emit the desired sounds.

From an inspection of Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings it will be understood that a musical box or mechanical musical instrument or apparatus constructed according to this invention, on account of its being inclosed .in a hollow case susceptible of tasteful decoration-'such as a vase or urn-.forms an elcgant ornament for a room. The vase form at the same' time highly favorable to the advantageous production of the sound.

W'e clahn as our inventionl. In a mechanical musical instrument or musical box, the combination of a music Sheet having pins or projections, the comb of tuned tongues revolubly Vmounted in position, iheaiswfor revolving said comb of tuned tbngus, and tli'e' cover or lid having a circumfi'entially-pi-ojecting rim restingl upon said musicsliet, substantially as and for the pui'- pose sarei-th. .l

2. Iia mechanical musical instrument or musical box, the combination of a musicslieet having pins or projections with a cover i' lid, c, having a circumferentially-projecting rim, c', substantially as and for the purposes'dscribed. ttiinony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witheuses;Y l

RLEDRICH ERNST PAUL EHRLICH. Gustav ADOLP'H FRCHTEGOTT MLLER. Witnesses: ALFRED' A. WHITMAN,

CARL ECRNGRAEBER. 

